Future Events:
March 2024 online annual members meeting to be announced via email.
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Past Events of Importance:
Minnesota Organic Conference
January 11-12, 2024, River’s Edge Convention Center, St. Cloud, MN
Chris Patton: Progress in the Commercial Production of Elderberry, posted deck pdf on the Presentations tab.
Fermentation Fest 2023 - Spirits
October 7-8, 11am-6pm / Witwen Park, Sauk City, WI 53583
MEC Summer Field Day
July 15, 2023, 8:30-Noon
Fountain Ark Farms, LLC
2023 Comprehensive Elderberry Workshop, Jefferson City, MO
June 15-16, 2023
Stoney Creek Inn, Columbia, Missouri Updates at riverhillsharvest.com
Agroforestry Equipment Workshop
October 27th 2022, The Organic Compound, Faribault, MN
MEC Spring Workshop
May 14, 2022 Fountain Ark Farms, LLC
169 82nd St SE, Delano, MN 55328
2022 Comprehensive Elderberry Workshop, Jefferson City, MO
June 9, 10-11, 2022
Stoney Creek Inn, Columbia, Missouri
Updates at riverhillsharvest.com
Hosted by The Savannah Institute
http://www.savannainstitute.org/events.html (links on Presentations page)
August 19 - Exploring Elderberry Benefits webinar with Terry Durham and Chris Patton, Midwest Elderberry Cooperative
September 7 - Elderberry Harvest webinar with Terry Durham and Chris Patton,
Midwest Elderberry Cooperative
September 29 - Elderberry Processing and Market Opportunities webinar with Terry Durham, River Hills Harvest and Chris Patton, Midwest Elderberry Cooperative
Minnesota Elderberry Growers Farm Tour, May 15, 2021
Veterans Farming Initiative, 4432 County Rd 12 S, Montrose, MN 55363-5420
Elderberry Virtual Workshop May 8, 2021
Online session with interactive Q&A sponsored by a Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection grant and hosted by Sheri Scott of Community Research Works. For more information, please email Sheri: sherscott@earthlink.net. View/lisyen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baFdK8duVJg
Minnesota Elderberry Growers Field Day, April 4, 2020
The Farm of Minnesota, 24618 St., HWY 15, Hutchinson, MN 55350
Elderberry Information Meeting, March 3, 2020
Hosted by Farm Table Foundation, 110 Keller Avenue North, Amery, WI 54001
2020 Members Meeting at the MOSES Conference
La Crosse, WI Convention Center, Feb. 28, 2020, 7pm, Yellow Room, meeting pdf.
“Beyond an Apple a Day: Minnesota’s role in the Functional Food Landscape”
Panel member for a Food Industry Thought Leaders Meeting, Feb. 12, 2020
MINNESOTA ORGANIC CONFERENCE, St. Cloud, MN January 9-10, 2020
Sponsored by the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture. Growing and Marketing Organic Elderberry in the Northern Midwest. Presentation found on Reports & Grants page.
Feast Local Foods Marketplace, December 6-7, 2019
Rochester, MN - Mayo Civic Center
MEC will have an elder flower & berry ingredients information booth there for the Friday trade show and sample River Hills ElderBerry products to consumers on Saturday. The FEAST! Local Foods Network is a partnership of many organizations, businesses, and individuals committed to growing a sustainable, local and regional food system.
Growing Elderberries as a Cash Crop, December 3, 2019,
221 Main St. N, Stillwater, MN
Green Lands Blue Waters Conference,
Nov. 19-20, 2019 Graduate Hotel, Minneapolis
Chris Patton presenting: Elderberry’s Place in your Forever Green Farm Plan. Now the #1 berry crop in Missouri, native elderberry remains an under-utilized, commercially viable perennial suitable for sustainable to regenerative farm plans. This presentation explores how to do so as well as its commercial scale potential and challenges.
MEC at the MN State Fair Aug. 22-Sept. 2, 2019
Forever Green Ag exhibit, CFANS in Ag/Horticultural Bldg.
This University of Minnesota Agroforestry Dept. presented exhibit will include MEC educational materials, examples of elder flower & berry products, and a potted Wyldewood elderberry plant.
Twin Cities VegFest Sept. 15, 2019, Harriet Island in St. Paul, MN
MEC had a booth with educational materials, examples of elder flower & berry products, and sample River Hills Harvest retail products at this open, free to the public event.
2019 Comprehensive Elderberry Workshop, Jefferson City, MO Terry Durham & his Elderberry Team put on the original and most comprehensive workshop about growing elderberry. To review most of the presentations given, please go to our Reports & Grants page.
Terry Durham’s Agroforestry farm tour for Savannah Institute: https://www.riverhillsharvest.com/growers?utm_campaign=9bbdbb4c-b63b-481d-80ff-1e7fcf326aa0&utm_source=so Take this 5 minute tour for great insight about growing elderberry as well as links to his upcoming events.
Chris Patton’s Hour Nutshell (audiovisual) Presentation for Savannah Institute:
Transitioning Elderberry from Hobby to Commercial Crop (4/2019)
Audiovisual YouTube link through Savannah Institute
Download the above presentation deck pdf.
Members Meeting at MOSES Conference
La Crosse, WI Convention Center
February 22, 2019 Meeting notes
EXPO West, Anaheim Convention Center
March 6-8, 2019
Booth N1344, Minnesota Pavilion
2019 Winter Fancy Food Show - Specialty Food Association,
Moscone Center, San Francisco
Regenerative Earth Summit: Food + Fiber + Climate
Dec. 5-6, 2018, Boulder, CO, MEC participating
2018 FEAST Local Foods Marketplace
Rochester, MN - Mayo Civic Center
2018 Summer Fancy Food Show, New York, NY
June 14-16, 2018 Comprehensive Elderberry Workshop, Jefferson City, MO
The Carver Center, 3804 Bald Hill Road, Jefferson City, MO
2018: EXPO West, Anaheim Convention Center
February 23, 2018 Members Meeting at MOSES Conference
Presented at 2018 Minnesota Organic Conference
January 11-12, 2018 in Saint Cloud, MN
Transitioning Native Elder Berry & Flower Production from Craft Hobby to Commercial Small Fruit,
Winter Fancy Food Show - Specialty Food Association
January 21, 2018 Awards Presentation in San Francisco
MEC president Christopher Patton received 2018 Leadership Award for Business Leadership for founding Midwest elderberry Cooperative. Announcement Link Article Link
Nov, 17, 2017: Midwest Elderberry Cooperative Annual
Members & Board of Directors Meeting
Tom Erhardt from Albert Lea Seed Co. graciously hosted us with admission to their free Open House.
June 25-27 Summer Fancy Food Show, New York, NY
July 8, 2017 Elderflower Power Day Cancelled!
Instead, I’ll be singing, “Where have all the flowers gone…”
Click here to see images of hail damage at our main production field.
One of our favorite events [ See pictures from last year.] has been cancelled by an act of nature.
2017 Comprehensive Elderberry Workshop, Jefferson City, MO
The Carver Center, 3804 Bald Hill Road, Jefferson City, MO
May 31 - June 1-2, 2017
Terry Durham & his Elderberry Team put on the original and most comprehensive workshop about growing elderberry. To review some of the presentations given, please go to our Reports & Grants page.
Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference -
January 19-21, 2017, Scheman Bldg., Ames, IA
Begins January 19 at 1 pm, Short Course Presentations & Discussion:
Production, Processing, and Marketing of Alternative Berry Crops with Terry Durham, Chris Patton, Jim Riddle and Kurt Rueber and Paul Otten. To review past presentations given, please go to our Reports & Grants page. Please see the IPF website: http://practicalfarmers.org/2017-annual-conference.